Saturday, May 2, 2015

Parents: Our young people need your selfless love for their salvation, not another "friend"

The pastoral plan in our parish is to hand on the Faith to be lived for the whole of life. The reason that this is our plan is because it is God’s plan. Individuals and families are called to learn the tools and skills for the daily following of the Gospel. This requires conversion and new life for all of us. The daily following of the Gospel is not for a time but until death so as "to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth", a knowledge based upon the evidence of seeing God face to face forever in heaven.

For many families who do not believe they can commit to anything beyond what is absolutely required for their children to receive Confirmation we say with Christ, “Put out into the deep.” What are the signs of a soul open with hope for conversion and new life in Christ? Surely this means doing more than the mere minimum that others can see such as attending Sunday Mass.

Certainly there is the daily walk of faith than includes personal prayer but there is also the Sacrament of Confession so as to return to a state of grace after mortal sin and receive the Eucharist worthily, the opportunities for community life beyond Sunday such as adult faith formation, daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration and other opportunities for formative growth through learning and prayer.
Together we can bring an end to the widespread phenomenon in which, by default, Confirmation becomes in effect a “graduation” from full practice of the Catholic Faith.

Will you begin to take the steps today to stop the scandal on the part of so many of our young people who fall into mortal sin after Confirmation? I see them as they sadly walk away from Christ unable to receive the Eucharist, unable to rely even on the loving encouragement of their parents to attend Sunday Mass. We need prayer and action. Please help.
Meeting Christ in the Liturgy: Our young people need your selfless love for their salvation